12.

CO-EDUCATION (Outstanding)
Co-education means the teaching of boys and girls under the same roof. It also means imparting same kind of education to both the sexes. First of all, it was introduced in Switzerland. Soon, the advanced countries of Europe adopted it. In the beginning, the Muslim countries did not like this system. But with the passage of time some Westernized countries adopted it. Co-education is a controversial issue. People having radical ideas are in favor of it. Their advocacy is based mainly on economic considerations. It is very difficult to maintain separate schools and colleges for boys and girls. The government cannot afford to provide funds for two separate institutions situated in small village or towns. Moreover, co-education is essential for modern civilization. Today women are supposed to work side by side men. They are seen in offices, factories, mills and farms. They are competing with men in every field of life. Hence, co-education should also be imparted to them under the same roof and same system so that it may be easy for them to compete with each other. These advocates of co-education opine that boys and girls have to live together in society in their later age. If they are taught together, they will get opportunity of understanding each other. They will get rid of unhealthy sex curiosity. Grown up boys would find greater stimulus in the company of grown up girls. They will become smart, polite and well-mannered when their behavior is observed by opposite sex. The girls also get rid of their shyness and become bold and courageous. The boys and girls develop mutual understanding which helps them a lot in leading a successful life. Coeducation develops a sense of competition between boys and girls. Both try to supercede the others. In this way, they become more hardworking, serious and studious. The opponents of co-education assert that this system is against our religion. Islam is dead against the free intermingling of boys and girls. This cause many complications. The students remain engrossed in the thoughts of opposite sex. They cannot pay full attention to the work in hand. Moreover, some religious-minded people do not like to send their daughters to the institutions where both the boys and girls are educated under the same roof. Thus their daughters are deprived of the right of education. The strongest argument of the opponents of co-education is that sexual corruption is feared at every step. The teenagers are raw-minded, sentimental, effusive and inflammable. They do not possess the power to resist the onrush tide of emotions. They indulge in illicit love affairs. Mostly, they cannot succeed in marrying due to opposition of their parents. As a result, the girls elope with their lovers and bring bad name and disgrace to their parents and to the families. The boys become drug edicts and ruin their careers. Sometimes, the girls are abducted. The parents of such girls suffer a great loss. They have to waste a lot of time and money in recovering their daughters. Moreover, the imparting the same kind of education to the girls and boys is never beneficial. The spheres of their activities in practical life are totally different. The education of girls under the same system is bound to render them imperfect. It would not equip them to face the battle of life successfully. Sometimes, the teacher cannot explain his point in the presence of two opposite sexes. In this way, the students' education remains incomplete. To pen off, we can say that co-education may be useful at primary or at higher level in poor countries like Pakistan because its advantages are greater than its disadvantages. But from middle to graduation level, it is harmful rather fatal.